{"id":4743,"date":"2020-03-24T21:21:18","date_gmt":"2020-03-25T02:21:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/doctoraviation.com\/?p=4743"},"modified":"2022-10-21T08:10:12","modified_gmt":"2022-10-21T13:10:12","slug":"joe-walker-and-the-x-15-sixty-years-ago-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doctoraviation.com\/joe-walker-and-the-x-15-sixty-years-ago-today\/","title":{"rendered":"Joe Walker and the X-15 Sixty Years Ago Today"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Joe Walker first flew the X-15 sixty years ago today.  The X-15 is the fastest aircraft <\/a>ever flown by the United States.  It was literally a rocket plane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The X-15, manufactured by North American, was one of the last in a series of supersonic test aircraft designed to test aircraft performance above the sound barrier of Mach 1.  It followed in the path of such aircraft as the XF-92, X-4, X-5, Douglas D-558-I Skystreak and the Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket.  Of course, it all began with Chuck Yeager in the Bell X-1<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Scott Crossfield<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The X-15 was first flown in 1959 by Scott Crossfield.  Crossfield, famously, passed up the opportunity to be the first to break the sound barrier over a pay squabble with the US government.  Enter stage right Air Force Captain, Chuck Yeager, and Yeager went down into history as the first to pass Mach 1<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
X-15 mounted to B-52<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

However, Scott Crossfield was not done.  As North American\u2019s Chief test pilot he was the first to fly Mach 2, in a Skyrocket in 1953.  He took the controls of the X-15 in June of 1959; it was an unpowered glide.  The X-15 was mounted to a B-52 and then dropped at altitude.  In September he flew the X-15 in a powered flight for the first time.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joe Walker’s Flight<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Joe Walker<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

On March 24, 1960, it was Joe Walker\u2019s turn.  Joseph Albert Walker was born in Pennsylvania.  Like many early test pilots, he had a science\ndegree in physics (the other common degree being engineering).  He also had a background as a fighter pilot,\nflying the P-38 in World War II. \nEventually he became a test pilot for NASA.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
X-15 in flight<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

On his first flight in the X-15 Walker underestimated the\npower in the bird.  He recalls being\ncrushed back into the pilot\u2019s seat after igniting the rocket engine.  Walker quickly accelerated to Mach 2.0 and\n48,000+ feet.  The flight lasted a total\nof 9 minutes and 8 seconds before Walker settled the craft onto Rodgers Dry Lakebed.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Tail 56-6670<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This X-15, Tail # 56-6670, was the first of three to be built.\u00a0 Only 12 men ever flew the bird in its total of 199 flights, Walker flew 25 of them.\u00a0 His fastest speed was Mach 5.92.\u00a0 His career ended in a disaster and will be chronicled in another blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Safe to say, that Walker was one of the fortunate few.\u00a0 Flying the X-15 for the first time sixty years ago today.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Joe Walker first flew the X-15 sixty years ago today.  The X-15 is the fastest aircraft ever flown by the United States.  It was literally a rocket plane. The X-15, manufactured by North American, was one of the last in a series of supersonic test aircraft designed to test aircraft performance above the sound barrier […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":338,"featured_media":4742,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[39],"tags":[59,1139,1141,1140,182],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nJoe Walker and the X-15 Sixty Years Ago Today - Doctor Aviation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Joe Walker first flew the X-15 sixty years ago today. 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